


Below the Floorboards

by sunshineflying



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Class Differences, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-09
Updated: 2013-07-21
Packaged: 2017-12-18 06:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/876833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineflying/pseuds/sunshineflying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Inspired by the new Bravo TV reality show, Below Deck.</i>
</p><p>Zayn's mum keeps pressuring him to find a summer job to save up for Uni. He finds advertisements for crew members needed to service on luxurious, high-class yacht charters. He applies on a whim, gets a job as a steward (a glorified bartender and laundry boy, to be exact), and forms good friendships with everyone on board, especially his bunk mate: the hunky deck hand named Liam. It's all good work, earning hundreds of pounds in a single weekend, and Zayn finds that it's not difficult at all to follow the yacht's number one rule: <i>no sleeping with the guests.</i></p><p>That is, until they take on an especially important charter from a wealthy Irish family and their son seems just as smitten with Zayn as Zayn is with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> For information on the show this is inspired by, you can visit [here](http://www.bravotv.com/below-deck/season-1).
> 
> This is just chapter one, my way of getting feelers out there on this fic, so to speak. Once the Irish family boards the charter, time will slow down quite a bit, I promise! I welcome and encourage you to leave feedback once you've read the first chapter! It'll be good to know if people want this to continue or not. Thank you for reading!

_Get a summer job_ , she said.

 _You should start saving up for Uni,_ she said.

Zayn’s mum had always been a smart woman, but at the same time she was the most daft creature he’d ever seen walk the planet. She knew full well her son was lazier than most, and yet she wanted him to actually _seek out and maintain_ a job? It made absolutely no sense to him.

“Just for the summer, darling,” she coaxed.

But a summer might turn into a year and before Zayn would even realize it, he’d be an adult with a bank account and bills and _responsibilities_. He didn’t want to go that route. Quite frankly, if Zayn could live with his mum until he managed to find a hot, loaded spouse, he’d do that. It was his M.O.

However, Zayn was a good kid, and he’d been raised never to sass his mother. That’s how he ended up searching through countless job ads. Most of the shops in Bradford sounded absolutely boring, but he sent in an application anyway. He was nearly eighteen; he hadn’t worked before but finding a job with no qualifications had to be easier than finding a job with the wrong qualifications.

He stumbled upon a website that didn’t look like it could be his cup of tea – until he saw in the description that the perks were salary, tips, and _living on a private luxury yacht all summer_. It was an opportunity too good not to pass up. He’d be traveling all summer, living the good life, and maybe he’d work once in a while if the boat got rented out. It had to be a godsend. It was certainly the kind of life he could tolerate for a summer.

So, Zayn applied. He applied for every single yacht that had advertised for crew members in hopes that at least _one_ would choose him.

When his mum asked him the following day if he’d applied for anything, he gave her a curt nod. “Oh?” she asked with interested. “What jobs?”

“A few boring things around Bradford and then a bunch of yachts,” he replied simply over his plate of bangers and mash.

She stared at him, her fork falling to her plate with a clatter. “Yachts?” she repeated.

“Yeah,” Zayn replied, glancing up at his mum. “You work on these yachts whenever someone rents them out for the weekend, you get salary and tips, and the best part – you get to travel and live on the boat all summer for _free_!”

Zayn’s mum was skeptical, and he supposed she had good reason. But she never tried to dissuade him which was a huge deal, and for that he was grateful. He tried not to let himself wonder if she didn’t mind because she doubted he’d even be called about a job on one of them.

It took two weeks, three days, and four hours for someone to call Zayn about a job on a yacht. They weren’t offering it to him, but they were willing to meet him in Leeds if he could hop a train to meet with the relief captain to interview. It all sounded painfully formal and quite intimidating, but after a quick shout to his mum, Zayn told them he could make the train ride from Bradford, and that they could meet the following Monday at one in the afternoon. “You’re not going to get this job, sweetheart,” his mum told him. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up. These jobs… they want _experienced_ people.”

“But the captain called me himself and said he takes inexperienced people in to train them,” Zayn protested.

Again, his mum shook her head in disdain. He despised the way she would knock him down for even having hope that they’d _consider_ him. It was difficult but he was determined to prove to her that this was a job he could earn.

And earn it he did.

The interview took approximately forty-two minutes and in that time frame, Zayn told the relief captain (Paul, his name was) his whole life story. He made sure to point out (at his mum’s insistence) that he had no experience on a yacht or in service or anything, but Paul wasn’t concerned. He asked if Zayn did chores around the house (of course) and if he took direction well (“That’s all my mum does,” he had said.) and the next thing Zayn knew, he was being asked if he could meet the rest of the team and the yacht’s captain for a debriefing session before summer holidays began. “You mean I got the job?” Zayn asked in shock.

Paul let out a hearty chuckle as he replied, “You bet, kid.”

Zayn shoved that in his mother’s face for days. She just added his tickets to go out to London for the crew meeting to a tally of his debts that she kept taped to the refrigerator. The total was staggering, but Zayn had seen the figures that he was looking at for money. He could make over seven hundred pounds as a tip alone at the end of one single weekend out on the yacht if someone rented it. He’d earn several thousand pounds over the course of the summer and Zayn knew he’d struck gold when offered the job.

“Well? What is it you’ll be doing on this ship, then?” his mum had asked.

To that, Zayn had no answer.

However, after a painstakingly long train ride into London from Bradford, and a confusing taxi cab ride in search of Pier 32, where the whole crew would be meeting, Zayn was just ready for a nap. He realized in hindsight that he should have just slept on the train, but at the time he’d been too excited.

Arriving at the Pier was the hardest part. Once there, he seemed to fit in more with the crew. Zayn had imagined himself as the one youngster in a (presumably all male) crew. But he’d been proven wrong, as he approached a crowd full of both men and women, all of varying ages. Several looked to be about the same age as Zayn, which was a relief.

The captain hadn’t arrived yet, so Zayn stood off to the side awkwardly, his hands stuffed in his pockets to keep him from fidgeting too much. There were a couple women; one was shorter with long, flowing dark hair and to her side stood someone with hair just as beautiful but legs quite longer and Zayn wondered what these pretty girls were doing slumming it with a job on a yacht. Most girls that gorgeous had the money tipped into their bank accounts when it overflowed from their fathers’ account. They didn’t _work_. They’d break a nail.

Behind them stood two boys, one looked incredibly young and the other looked about Zayn’s age. The younger one had unruly curly brown hair, and his smile spread across his whole face as he quite obviously flirted with the other boy. The other boy had straight brown hair and glowing eyes, and he kept flirting with the taller right back. Zayn could sense that he shouldn’t interrupt, so he stood off to the side without chatting with people.

There were some muscular guys, and he recognized Paul, and from behind them came another boy. He was tall, slender, but his muscles were quite obviously developing. Zayn wondered if this would be one of the guys manning the yacht, cleaning it and tending to the ropes and anchor and all those other boat-type things that Zayn was so unfamiliar with. The boy approached, and before Zayn could even glance around to see just who this boy could be walking towards, their eyes locked and he smiled as he extended a hand. “I’m Liam,” he said.

The boy seemed confident, but his voice was in stark contrast. He sounded timid, nervous even, and Zayn was glad he wasn’t alone in that department. “Zayn. Nice to meet you,” he replied.

Liam’s eyebrow cocked at something, and he asked, “Where is that accent from?”

Zayn hadn’t had anyone comment on his accent before. He was so used to everyone sounding the same where he came from; he’d never ventured this far from home before, either. Liam’s accent was far more posh and even though he hadn’t noticed at first, Zayn realized that he and Liam were from completely different parts of the country. After an embarrassingly long pause, Zayn replied, “Er… Bradford. And you?”

“Wolverhampton,” Liam smiled.

Their hands dropped at their sides after they realized they had been shaking hands for far too long. In an attempt to cure the awkwardness, Liam asked, “Is this your first time as well?”

Zayn nodded, relieved that he wasn’t the only new kid. His cheeks reddened and Liam cocked his eyebrow at him again, but before Zayn could do anything else to embarrass himself around this new friend (were they friends? He wasn’t sure.), the captain approached. Zayn wouldn’t have known it was the captain, except for the fact that everyone shushed when this tall, burly man walked onto the pier. He introduced himself as Simon, but Zayn was sure he’d forget. Hopefully calling him “captain” instead would a point in his favor. The guy looked like he enjoyed an ego boost from time to time.

As Simon spoke about rules and protocols and what they should bring and what they shouldn’t, Zayn became quite intimidated. He couldn’t speak over someone else’s head; he had to go to his immediate superior. He had to do exactly as was asked. And most importantly: “The word ‘no’ does not exist on this yacht,” Simon had said. “We do everything our guests ask of us, no questions asked. If they want a smoothie that isn’t on our menu, we make that smoothie without hesitation. If they want a cocktail you don’t know how to prepare, use that sodded smartphone in your pocket and figure out how to make the cocktail. If they request an unscheduled stop or picnic, we do it. We wash their laundry, we replace their linens, and we are there to serve _them_. And most importantly – and I can’t stress this enough – _we do not sleep with our guests_.”

He went into discussing pay, how they would be given their summer work stipend at the _end_ of summer holidays, and their only pay during the summer was their tips so they should take care to do everything the guests asked if they wanted a sizeable tip at the end of each charter. Zayn was beyond intimidated, and he couldn’t figure out how he was supposed to know so many things or even who he should turn to if he had a question, but thankfully that was next to address on Captain Simon’s agenda.

Apparently Zayn was the Second Steward, but he didn’t understand what that meant. He took note that the shorter boy that had been flirting earlier was First Steward (his name was Louis, Zayn learned) and they both had to answer to the leggy, beautiful brunette woman named Danielle, as she was Chief Stewardess. Zayn wasn’t sure what to expect from her because she looked so kind, but at the same time she was greatly intimidating.

The boy that Louis was flirting with was named Harry, and he was apparently some sort of cooking prodigy, as he was _chef_. Zayn had never known someone so young to be in such a high position in a kitchen (usually kids Harry’s age worked as dishwashers, not head chefs). The shorter brunette, Eleanor, was his sous chef, which meant she helped him with everything, and Zayn knew that even though he was trying hard to remember names, he never would.

Just as guessed, Liam was a Deck Hand, which meant he worked around the yacht to keep it looking pristine. He’d help dock, drop anchors, and pull the dinghies through the water if the guests ever chose to wake board, water ski, or go tubing. Liam must be talented, because Zayn had never gone out on such a thing before, never mind bring guests along. Then again, Zayn disliked water in general. The only reason he’d taken the job was for the pay; he carefully hid his fear of deep water and subsequent lack of swimming abilities. Surprisingly, nobody had asked.

They took a tour of the yacht, and Zayn had to admit that it was impressive. It was shiny, with golden tinted railings and white, pressed linens. The rooms were luxurious and the view even from where it was anchored at pier was _gorgeous_. When they got downstairs, Zayn realized just _why_ they were living on the yacht at no cost. The bunks were tiny. _Tiny_. Each bunk was scarcely larger than a coffin, and the room outside of that was just as small. Two closets only about a shoulder’s width wide rested on either side of each worker’s cabin, and they had to manage to stuff all their clothes in there. At least they’d have uniforms so they wouldn’t have to pack a large amount of clothing.

Captain Simon rattled off bunk assignments, and Zayn found that he’d been paired with Liam, the fit deck hand that he’d met on the pier earlier. He let out a sigh of relief that didn’t go unnoticed by Liam where he stood next to him on the tour. Just before they were let go after the meeting, the captain took down shirt sizes and pant sizes so he could get properly fitted uniforms for each of them, and he told them the date and time on which they must arrive. “If you’re late, I’ll replace you. I’ve got enough backups I can replace you in an _instant_ ,” he threatened, and Zayn tried not to worry.

As they were leaving the pier, Liam approached. “So, my mum and dad have got me a hotel booked both tonight and the night before we leave to train and then do our first charter,” Liam rattled off nervously. His cheeks were flushed and Zayn looked at him oddly. “D’you fancy joining me? I’ve never been to London before I’m happy to share.”

Zayn was surprised at the invitation, but nodded without thought. He had no set time to return to Bradford; his mum had given him money to purchase a ticket whenever he finished. Zayn didn’t have much to spare but he could manage a night in London with Liam. Liam seemed trustworthy, and he was kind, and more than anything Zayn wanted to have a friendship with someone before their first charter. He was scared out of his wits, if he was being completely honest.

So Zayn texted his mum and then stayed, and that’s the only reason why he wasn’t scared out of his skin the day before training: he had Liam to chat with to calm his nerves. And Liam was a godsend that Zayn would probably never forget.

\---

Zayn hadn’t quite expected to catch on so quickly. He’d never been particularly adept at any one thing in particular aside from literature, so when he got to the yacht a couple of weeks later after a sleepless night in which he and Liam discussed their fears and hopes for the yacht crew that summer, he was shocked. All he had to do was exactly as Danielle instructed him. Zayn didn’t give as much attitude as Louis did, and she seemed to appreciate this. In fact, nearly everyone on the yacht seemed to appreciate Zayn’s passivity.

They did a test weekend with Simon’s family as their yacht guests, and Zayn wondered if he’d told them to be that difficult, or if that was truly how their guests were going to act. Simon’s wife and children were obnoxious, and Zayn had very nearly bitten a chunk out of his cheek as he tried to bite his tongue at their ridiculous requests; the food had to be at a certain temperature, they wanted their sheets chilled before they went to bed (what did that even _mean_!?) and what’s worse is they demanded nearly everything instead of _asking politely_. When the mere overnight trip ended, Zayn approached Danielle solemnly.

“You did a great job this weekend,” she encouraged him kindly. “I really appreciate your hard work and the fact that you don’t question authority. The respect is a refreshing change.”

“Really?” Zayn asked, shocked. He’d been his own worst critic, apparently, because he had a laundry list of mistakes he’d made that he wanted to apologize for. “I feel as though I mucked up the entire time.”

Danielle let out a laugh and she said, “You did wonderfully. You worked through it all and you asked when you needed it. Unlike Louis, who very nearly earned a glass of wine in his face from his sarcastic tone towards the captain’s wife.”

“Why do you keep him around then?” Zayn asked, and then his eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t – it’s not…”

Danielle laughed again, her smile calm and inviting. “You don’t need to worry. I get asked that question more often than anything else… even _where’s Louis?_ , which is another common one on this yacht,” she replied with amusement. “He’s excellent at his job. When we’ve real guests, he works hard. It’s just the captain’s family that he’s got no respect for. This is his third year on the yacht and he’s one of our most valuable workers.”

Zayn nodded and she smiled comfortingly at him. “Not to worry, darling. With your hard work, I wouldn’t be surprised if you surpassed him in value,” Danielle complimented him. “You’re doing great, Zayn. Chin up!”

It was amazing how such a simple, short chat with Danielle could boost his spirits so much. Zayn smiled at her and thanked her before he asked, “Are all of our guests like that?”

“Not usually,” Danielle admitted. “Simon usually has his family give us the worst of the worst so everything seems pleasant in comparison. You’ll thank his family by the end of this, I’m sure of it.”

Zayn wasn’t so sure, but he nodded. He thanked her yet again, and she had a twinkle in her eye as he did so. “Don’t forget to get dressed up and come celebrate on the deck with us,” she said with a grin. “Tonight’s the night the crew gets to celebrate and take advantage of the perks on this yacht.”

With a smile, Zayn nodded and retreated to his bunk. But he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go out and celebrate with the rest. Zayn was exhausted, and he was afraid someone might say something bad about his work that day, and most of all Zayn just didn’t know anyone so he didn’t know how to act around them.

But somehow Liam managed to talk Zayn into it, and there he sat with everyone else around the large table, the yacht anchored somewhere outside of London and the UK, on the River Thames away from the hubbub of life in the city. He sipped at his glass of wine as he ate Harry’s _decadent_ dinner, and it was wonderful. Zayn felt a little more at ease, knowing he had Danielle and Liam to chat to. “They’re dating, mate,” Louis whispered into Zayn’s ear in amusement when he sat quite near to Liam.

Zayn’s eyes widened and he looked over at Louis. “Are they really? Liam and Danielle?” he asked, shocked.

Of all the relationships on the yacht, that was the least obvious. When Zayn asked Louis about he and Harry, he got a sputtering insistence that they were just friends – best mates were Louis’s exact words – and Zayn decided never to accidentally tread upon that topic again.

But out of everything Zayn learned that night, it was that things weren’t so bad on the yacht. He missed his sisters and he called his mum whenever he could, but for the most part they were always busy doing something. They got far more charters than Zayn had expected, and when they weren’t serving those well-paying customers (he’d made five hundred pounds in _one weekend_ in tips!) they were usually cleaning the yacht to be sure it was in satisfactory condition for the next charter that was ordered. Zayn was keeping busy and he felt far more at home now that he’d made friends. Nearly everyone on the crew was fun, and it was nice to spend time as equals when they weren’t on a charter. And for Zayn, things had worked out. He’d proven his mum wrong, he’d made a place for himself on the yacht, and now he just had to get through the luxurious summers on the River Thames and surrounding bodies of water.

He could do it.

Right?


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the wonderful feedback so far! This is the chapter in which the plot really gets rolling, so I hope you all enjoy it! I'm unfamiliar with lots of European nobility and such, but I've done some searching. I know that the King of Ireland was last reigning back in 1949, but I'm going to operate under the idea that his family still holds an esteemed status. Titles are in rank, but completely made up. I have no idea if they'd actually be titles of descendants of a King. Hopefully those details don't muck things up too much for you! As always, I welcome any and all feedback :)

Zayn caught on to his job on the yacht almost immediately. Danielle was always smiling whenever they’d discuss how certain charters went. Sure, Captain Simon always found _something_ wrong with what they did, or _some little thing_ they screwed up that could have cost them their tip, but didn’t. Zayn had worked for the yacht for two months and had already earned more than two thousand pounds to take home, and that wasn’t even counting the stipend he’d get at the end of the summer. “Crew, I need to see you in the crew mess hall,” Simon said over the walkie talkies.

Usually they only met there if they had to discuss a particularly picky client (rarely, because they were _all_ rather picky) or if they had just finished a charter, or if they were in trouble. It couldn’t be one of the first two, so terror shot through Zayn’s body as he realized that they were in trouble. Everyone else on the crew seemed to be in the same mindset because they looked just as scared as they walked down to the bottom deck and sat around the massive table in the crew’s dining area. Simon was seated at the head of the table and everyone else sat around him. Zayn could feel the nerves radiating off of Liam to his right, and even Louis, to his left, didn’t have a word to say.

“Okay, listen up everyone, we’ve got a very large and important charter coming up and I want no mistakes,” Captain Simon began. “It departs from Dublin this Sunday. We’ve got five days to get to Dublin, purchase our provisions, and prepare for these guests. And these guests take _no_ funny business. I will not permit it. Messing up significantly on this charter will be the end of your career on this yacht, no questions asked. They are the last descendants of the King of Ireland and they will _not_ be disappointed.”

Zayn gulped. _Descendants of a King!?_ He couldn’t serve them. The nerves would get to him. Zayn doubted his abilities and he could see Danielle glancing at him out the corner of her eye. The whole crew looked somber and intimidated and Captain Simon just looked at them all, his gaze ever as intimidating and fear-inducing as it had once been. “Harry, we need _lots_ of provisions. Danielle has profiles of each family member and their dietary preferences. Keep in mind that the grandson of the King on average eats about two servings per course, potentially more.”

Zayn heard Louis grumble from his side. The first thought in Zayn’s head was that they’d be serving a chubby spoiled boy with no respect or regard for rules, and that made him even more scared.

It didn’t help when Danielle pulled her stewards, Louis and Zayn, aside and said that she wanted them to switch duties for the remainder of the holidays. Now instead of doing laundry, fixing up rooms, and occasionally serving drinks, that would be Louis’s duty and Zayn would have to interact more with their charter guests. He’d deliver food, beverages, and anything else they might require. He’d check in with them, take down wake-up times to make sure everyone would be awake to serve them, and he’d stay up as late as the guests did to serve them until their head met their pillow.

 _Of course_ , Zayn thought to himself. _On the most important charter I get such a job._

Louis, whom Zayn was sure would be upset, just smirked and said, “Perfect timing.” He clapped Zayn on the shoulder and said, “Best of luck.”

Zayn groaned and went into his room. Liam was still up on the deck because he was helping Harry and Eleanor load all the provisions for their five day trek to Dublin, and he was relieved that he didn’t have to do anything else that night. “You’ll be just fine, Zayn,” Danielle told him with a smile before he retreated to his room. But Zayn was having trouble believing.

He was asleep by the time Liam arrived, and he had apparently stayed asleep well past when Liam woke up. Grumbling something about being cramped up on the top bunk, he wandered into the galley. Harry was hard at work preparing something for breakfast, and Louis was right there at his side along with Eleanor. “What’re you doing? We’ve got no guests today,” Zayn said groggily.

He was still wearing shorts and a plain shirt, and his hair was a mess, but nobody seemed to judge him for it. “I’m testing new recipes,” Harry said, a bit of a tremor of nervousness in his voice.

“D’you need more coffee, Hazza?” Louis asked, patting Harry’s shoulder in a more-than-friends kind of way.

Harry just nodded, and Louis ushered Zayn out of the galley with him. “I’ll make you a cup, too. Have you had the lattes on this boat? Best in the world, let me tell you,” Louis said as he set up cups next to the coffee maker or espresso machine or whatever it was that had confused the hell out of Zayn for the first few days. “This has got to be a large part of why we get tipped so largely. I’ve got tea brewing as well, would you rather some of that?”

“No, coffee’s good,” Zayn slurred, still extremely tired. “I’ve gotta wake up.”

“Cheers,” Louis nodded. “Have a seat in the mess hall. You’ll find some of the others in there to chat with.”

Zayn didn’t argue because he was just too tired, so instead he trudged into the crew’s mess hall to see Danielle and Liam chatting, shoulders touching they were so close. They parted when Zayn walked in, but he didn’t even notice. He just took a seat next to Liam and leaned back in his chair, yawning widely. “Good morning, Zayn,” Danielle smiled.

“You were out like a light last night,” Liam commented. “Did you have a good sleep?”

“Wonderful,” Zayn nodded. “G’morning both of you. Sorry, I’m not much of a morning person.”

Danielle giggled and she said, “On days you work, you’d have had me fooled. But today? I believe it today.”

Zayn gave her a half smile. He liked her friendship. She was so kind and didn’t let the fact that she had a boyfriend keep her from socializing with other guys like so many other women did. She was truly a godsend on this yacht because without her, Zayn would be floundering. “We’re thinking of trying to arrive to Dublin a day early,” Liam informed him. “We’ve got our relief captain on board so we can go straight through to Ireland for days on end. If we get there early we’ll be going tubing and boarding and the lot. Fancy joining us?”

“Oh.. erm, no thanks,” Zayn shrugged. “I’ll just tan out on the deck, yeah?”

Zayn really wasn’t comfortable around water in the way Liam was asking him to be, but at the same time he didn’t want to _tell them_ about that fear. He didn’t know how to swim so naturally deep water scared him. But telling someone on the yacht that he didn’t know how to swim might mean he could lose his job. Or worse – they’d make him learn. Zayn really didn’t want that, either.

“No problem, mate,” Liam said simply. He didn’t even ask questions. “I might tan with you for part of that. Lord knows Harry will.”

Zayn felt better when Liam didn’t pressure him to go out boating with them.

Just as luck would have it, they’d arrived do Dublin with plenty of time before their charter, and Captain Simon allowed them that afternoon and evening to spend time together and have fun before the next morning when they had to work on the boat from dawn until dusk so it was ready early the next morning for their charter guests.

Zayn lay out on the deck for most of the afternoon, alternating between his front and back to get an even tan, and he was joined only by Harry who also seemed to have an adversity to the water. He was also extremely tan for a guy who was trapped down in the galley most of each and every day. Eleanor and Danielle joined them for tanning for a lot of it, but Danielle didn’t hesitate to go out and kick everyone else’s butt at wakeboarding. Liam seemed both turned on and intimidated, and Zayn laughed at such a sight.

Zayn also found that Liam himself was a sight. A _gorgeous_ sight. He knew it was wrong and that another good rule (though not an official one) was not to pine after your co-workers, just as you shouldn’t pine after charter guests. But he could appreciate toned abs, tanned skin, and large muscles right? It was just looking; girls did it all the time. Besides, Zayn was fairly certain that not a single person on the yacht knew that he took a slight inclination towards men. Zayn could date women or men (“hearts not parts,” someone had not-so-eloquently phrased it to him) but he always found the hard lines of muscle a bit more appealing than thin hourglass frames.

However, that secret wouldn’t remain a secret for long thanks to Louis and his completely ridiculous antics. The adults on the yacht (mostly the deck hands, save Liam, and Captain Simon, along with the engineers and relief captain) went to be at sunset, and that left the “young ones” as Paul had dubbed them. They sat out on the protruding deck of the yacht, stars and moon above them, all surrounding a single table.

Louis, being the mature adult that he was, chose to start a game of Truth or Dare. Nobody had the heart to turn him down. Along with that, they found that he’d spiked the punch but by the time anyone noticed, they were all too buzzed to care. Zayn didn’t often get buzzed or drunk (a lack of friends back in Bradford could do that for a person) but he found that he liked the feeling.

Or rather, he liked the feeling until it caused him to reveal that he fancied men _and_ women.

“You do?” Liam asked, shocked and looking like a fish out of water.

If Zayn had been sober, he would have died of embarrassment, but seeing as he wasn’t, he just nodded proudly. “Got a problem with that, Li?” Louis asked in Zayn’s defense.

“Not at all,” Liam shook his head quickly. “I just never would have guessed.”

“Nobody ever guesses,” Zayn said simply, shrugging his shoulders. He had loose lips when he was drinking, he would soon learn. “It’s why I’ve never dated. A few girls ask me out but I get bored, y’know? They just want my face next to theirs, not what’s… inside, y’know?”

Danielle and Eleanor nodded most vehemently, but everyone seemed to understand. “Go to Uni!” Louis encouraged him with a grin. “You’ll meet all sorts of lovely people there!”

“That’s why I’m on this yacht,” Zayn shrugged. “Hoping to save enough to pay for it.”

“You’ll be able to pay a whole year’s tuition on this job,” Louis insisted. “It’s the greatest thing.”

Zayn felt calm and relaxed in that moment, but when he woke up the memories came flooding back and when he hopped out of his bunk the following morning, he was met with Liam’s cautious gaze. “Liam? Y’alright?” Zayn asked with a yawn.

He nodded and then asked, “A-are you?”

“O’ course I am,” Zayn shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I just mean… because last night…” Liam stammered through his words. “Louis… he spiked the punch and then… you said…”

“Oh.”

Zayn and Liam just stared at each other, because he didn’t want things to get weird with Liam. “Erm, yeah. I mean… it was the truth? So I guess if it’s weird for you… maybe we can ask Danielle or Captain Simon to give us a bunk switch? If it’s weird, I mean…” Zayn replied just as awkwardly.

“No!” Liam nearly shouted. “I mean… no. It’s fine. Out of us young lads I think I’m the only straight one, being honest. Harry and Louis are just in denial.”

Zayn laughed a bit at that, because he knew his “gay-dar” or whatever it was called, wasn’t that off. Usually he had a good handle on who he could tell these sorts of things to, and whom he couldn’t. It seemed that he hadn’t been quite as wrong as he’d thought when it came to Louis and Harry. “We’re good, mate,” Liam said simply. “You’re a great bunk mate. Wouldn’t trade you for the world.”

With a big grin, Zayn clapped Liam on the shoulder and said, “Glad to hear it, because I’m far too lazy to move bunks at this point.”

After that, Zayn didn’t even have time to think, never mind chat with anyone about what else he might have said that would make things awkward the night before. They were cleaning every available surface of the boat. Harry was sitting down with Danielle viewing documents on dietary preferences and restrictions, planning the menu, and forming the provisions list. Louis was washing all the laundry, the sheets that hadn’t been used between when they left London and arrived in Dublin (they wanted them to smell fresh) and he cleaned every single piece of linen he could find that guests would use. Sheets, blankets, towels, _everything_. It sounded tedious, but Louis loved it because the laundry was down near the galley so he’d get to sneak glances of Harry.

Zayn cleaned every surface. His hands were covered with stifling yellow gloves, and he wore a mask so he wouldn’t get high from being around cleaning substances all day long. Every single wall of every single shower, the shower heads, the faucets, the sinks, the bedside tables, the _actual_ tables… everything. Not a single surface was left uncleaned. Liam was outside cleaning every outside surface of the yacht, and they didn’t get a break until nearly sunset. Thankfully, Harry was testing one last recipe so they all got a delicious gourmet dinner. “Harry,” Zayn spoke up. “I’ve come to the realization that even though you have us test these… you don’t really _have_ to. Every single piece of food you’ve made is to die for. I’ve never eaten so well in my life.”

Louis proudly smiled and turned to look at Harry excitedly. “I told you!” he shouted.

“I just like having a second opinion,” Harry said sheepishly. “This one time I used a new method of preparing asparagus, and…”

“And it tasted just as well as his other asparagus, just with a bit of a kick,” Louis chimed in. “He’s far too modest about his abilities.”

“Louis, I’m…” Harry trailed off, embarrassed at such praise.

Captain Simon wasn’t smiling at the sight of Harry and Louis arguing like a couple in the way that the rest of the crew was, but it seemed even _he_ had something nice to say about Harry. “There’s a reason you’re the youngest head chef on a yacht in the British Isles, Harry,” Captain Simon said simply. “You’ve got a talent most shrug off because of your age.”

“How old _are_ you, anyway?” Zayn asked curiously.

“Sixteen,” Harry said simply.

Zayn’s eyes widened, but mostly because he was impressed. But also because he hadn’t realized that a person could be so successful at such a young age; he hadn’t done next to anything with his life. He just lived with his mum, worked his way through school, and sometimes spent time with his sisters. “Harry’s a prodigy, I tell you,” Louis said happily.

Liam let out a groan and rolled his eyes, and both Harry and Louis blushed when they realized just how much they sounded like a couple. “We’re not together!” Louis insisted.

Harry’s eyes focused on his plate and Zayn noticed the way things seemed awkward after that. He wanted to talk to them about it, but of course after dinner Louis and Eleanor helped Harry to do the dishes and that left Zayn with Liam and Danielle. “I’m going to have a chat with the Captain,” Danielle said when she noticed the couple plus a third wheel remaining out on the deck. “Remember, we meet out here on the deck at six in the morning tomorrow,” she told them. “In uniform.”

Zayn nodded, but instead of retiring to his bunk right away, he cleaned up the space where they’d just eaten. Everyone tried to keep things clean for them, but Zayn was in such a habit of wiping a whole surface because of a few crumbs that he couldn’t just walk away from the table where they’d eaten without wiping it down. He also placed all the chairs just right, and he was thankful that Liam had hung back to help him. “You nervous for tomorrow?” Liam asked as they walked down to their bunk.

“Incredibly,” Zayn admitted.

“Just get a good night’s rest. It’ll help,” he insisted.

“Dunno if that’s possible at this point, but I’ll give it a try,” Zayn said simply.

Once in their bunk, Liam pulled out a bottle of pills. Zayn eyed them warily and wasn’t sure what to think when Liam offered one to him. “I get nervous too, but mum said these really help, and they do,” he explained. “It’s melatonin, nothing bad. It’s something the body produces naturally, but an extra little boost really helps you fall asleep so you don’t have to take the habit-forming sleeping pills.”

It sounded like a wonderful deal to Zayn, so he accepted the pill and swallowed it down. “Thanks, mate,” Zayn said.

“Not a problem,” Liam said as he climbed into his bunk on the lower level. “It should knock you out within a half hour.”

“Brilliant,” Zayn yawned. He nearly collapsed on his bed, and just as Liam said, it knocked him out in quite a short amount of time.

Liam helped him wake the next morning since Zayn had a habit of hitting the snooze button. All Liam had to do was shout about being late to meet the King of Ireland’s descendants and Zayn nearly leapt out of his bunk.

Zayn styled his hair _perfectly_ , the little blonde highlighted patch up front and curled over just right. The wind would likely mess it up, but first impressions were most important and the wind wouldn’t ruin it before they could welcome the guests on during boarding. He wore his white shirt, with black bars on the shoulders, embroidered sides, a name pin on the breast pocket, and black shorts to accompany them. “How do I look?” Zayn asked nervously.

He slid on his black and white boating shoes and just looked over at Liam nervously. “Better than me,” Liam reassured him.

Being a deck hand, Liam did all the hard work; he loosened the ropes, helped dock and get out of the pier, and as such he wore a simple black polo shirt and khaki shorts along with similar shoes. “You look far more comfortable than me,” Zayn commented.

Danielle stopped by with walkie talkies for the both of them, and as Zayn attached his to his outfit, Dani stepped in to give Liam a good luck kiss. “You too, Zayn. You’ll be great, though. I’ve a good feeling,” she smiled, planting a kiss on his cheek before leaving the room.

“That didn’t help you any, did it?” Liam asked as he spotted the pale face looking back at him. Zayn just shook his head.

Just as always, the crew gathered on the deck near the boarding ramp, and they waved as their charter guests arrived. An older man approached with a woman that was quite obviously his wife. They dressed like they were ready to go boating, but the clothes looked so pressed and pristine that Zayn was sure the clothes had never been near a beach or water before that moment. He stood next to Louis holding a tray of champagne glasses. As guests approached, Louis poured a glass for each of them. First the male (Count Robert), and then the female, most definitely his wife (Countess Maura), a tall, striking lad with a beautiful woman at his side (Viscount Gregory and his fiancé, Baroness Alexe from France), and following up the back was a lone blonde lad, dressed just as his parents and brother but with hair flying away in the wind and striking blue eyes. He looked young, probably no older than Zayn or the “young ones” on the crew. As he took the final glass of champagne, it was revealed that this was Viscount Niall, the youngest of the Horan family that had just boarded the charter.

When Zayn glanced up to greet the final member, his words caught in his throat as he locked eyes with Viscount Niall. At his speechlessness, Viscount Niall just smiled and nodded to them before following his family to the main deck. “Smooth,” Louis muttered into Zayn’s ear with a laugh.

Zayn looked desperately over at Louis, hoping he hadn’t made a huge mistake, but he was just met with a noncommittal shrug in return. Zayn frowned.

He was so screwed.


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait on this chapter! I was working on it, but also had to work and then yesterday I was spending time with my Glee fandom mourning the loss of Cory Monteith. But now I'm pulling stuff together.
> 
> My goal is to have this completed by Saturday so I can finish this before I move and start my new job. We'll see how that goes!

As soon as the royal family walked onto the deck of the yacht and looked around, Zayn let out a breath. “You are so fucked,” Louis giggled in his ear.

Louis seemed to be the only one to notice that Zayn had done less than his best when greeting the final member of the royal family, Niall. But that still was one too many people, and Zayn couldn’t even explain why he’d done it. Never before had he been rendered speechless by a person, but Niall was just… different. His blonde hair was striking in the summer sun, and his pale skin and darkened freckles drew Zayn’s eye all over his skin in intricate little patterns that just caused him to be more enamored. His eyes were hard to see from behind the sunglasses but Zayn was sure he’d have gorgeous, captivating eyes as well.

Zayn had fallen, and he’d fallen hard, and it was _terrible_.

Inside, Zayn waited for the guests to sit out on the patio deck, and once they were situated he wandered out. He took breakfast orders and offered a refill on their champagne before retreating to the galley. Leave it to a royal family to request mimosas with their breakfasts, he thought to himself as he wandered down to give Harry the order. By the time he reached the galley, so had the news of Zayn’s embarrassing greeting towards Niall, and he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Especially because Louis had made the mistake of speaking so Danielle could overhear, and for the first time ever she looked at him with an expression of disappointment and slight warning instead of a smile.

It wasn’t a good feeling.

Zayn tried to ignore Niall’s eyes on him all through breakfast, and when the family retreated to the small pool on the other side of the yacht, he excused himself to bring the dishes down. When he returned and saw nobody in the pool and instead all five guests lounging around it, Zayn was surprised. He asked them all if they needed another drink, and he received a polite ‘no’ from almost everyone. When he approached Niall, he was met with, “I’ll actually have a beer please. Any brew you’d recommend is fine.”

“Darling, you don’t need a beer,” the Countess said simply. Zayn turned his attention towards her, and she shook her head, “He doesn’t need a drink right now. Thank you very much.”

Unfortunately, rules stated that anyone under age had to be given permission for a drink from their parents, and paperwork down below told Zayn that Niall was the only one that required a parent’s permission to consume alcohol. She hadn’t given it, so as much as he wanted to give Niall a beer, he couldn’t. Instead he thanked them and said he’d return in a bit to see how they were doing.

Down below, Zayn tossed himself into a chair for a moment. “Y’alright?” Louis asked as he walked past, still doing loads of laundry near the galley.

“No,” Zayn said woefully.

Louis burst out laughing and Harry wandered in to see what was going on. “I heard you’ve got the hots for the Viscount,” Harry smiled. “Is he really that great?”

“He’s _gorgeous_ , isn’t he Zayn?” Louis teased.

Harry looked at Zayn a bit hurt, wondering if maybe Louis fancied the Viscount more than him, but he didn’t let on. Zayn just grumbled and buried his face in his hands as he said, “He’s good looking. But I don’t know why I couldn’t speak! It was terrible! I’m so embarrassed.”

“D’you really fancy him?” Eleanor asked in a soft, hesitant voice.

“I never said that,” Zayn said, his head snapping up. He glared at Louis as he said, “That was Louis’s lovely rumor.”

“It’s true though,” Louis challenged, leaning in to put his face right in by Zayn’s. “Look me in the eye and deny it.”

“I don’t fancy him,” Zayn said simply, eyes never straying from Louis’s.

Then he leaned back and glanced over as soon as he heard footsteps approaching. “Zayn? Do you want to check in on the Royal Family again?” she asked.

Her expression was curt; she wasn’t nearly as friendly anymore thanks to the rumor Louis had been spreading. Zayn didn’t fancy Niall, he just found his face aesthetically pleasing. He hadn’t made a pass at him, flirted with him, or anything of the sort. He’d just done his job and had a momentary slip of the tongue (or had forgotten to use his tongue, rather) and that was it. Louis was making a big deal out of nothing and it wasn’t making Zayn’s job any easier. He nodded and left the room, glad to be rid of Louis and his taunting for a while.

That was the beauty about the job; it was like you were in two different worlds. Below deck he was the timid young guy, picked on by the other staff and glared at over a _rumor_. Above deck he was just Zayn the steward. He did his job and let everything else go from his mind. After checking to make sure the royal family didn’t need anything else (and they didn’t), he wandered to the other side of the deck to be sure the table was back in order so they could have lunch whenever they wanted. Zayn smelled the faint scent of cigarettes and he turned to see Niall on his own, meandering towards Zayn with a bored expression on his face. “Doesn’t this job get old?” he asked curiously.

_Entertain the guests. Do not sleep with the guests._

Zayn swallowed hard and remembered all he was taught before he replied amicably, “It’s actually not bad. Changes with each day, each new group of guests and all that.”

“And us? Are we a good group of guests, or a dull one?” Niall asked, walking ever closer.

“You guys are great,” Zayn insisted. “Very low-key. It’s refreshing. We had a group a few weeks ago who decided to leap off the deck before we had even anchored. It was so dangerous. The Captain nearly had a fit in all his rage.”

Niall let out a chuckle, but the story didn’t excite him as much as Zayn had been hoping for. Niall had probably seen a lot more entertaining things in his time than Zayn had ever seen on that yacht. Niall offered a cigarette to Zayn, who shook his head. He’d kicked the habit once his sister saw him having a smoke and burst into tears at the sight. As tempting as it was, he couldn’t. Even more so, he was on the job. It was even more difficult to shake his head when Niall instead offered the lit cigarette that had been propped between his lips just seconds prior. “I had you pegged as a smoker. My apologies,” Niall said, his manners still stifling and so unnatural coming from his lips.

But his voice was extremely natural, and Zayn found himself constantly distracted by just how smooth and low it was. Niall had a lot of appeal, it was undeniable. But he _didn’t fancy him_. Louis couldn’t come up with enough evidence. Quickly remembering he had to speak, Zayn said, “I used to, but I kicked it. My younger sister didn’t take well to the idea, and seeing her sad kind of breaks my heart.”

Niall nodded and said simply, “Understandable. That’s noble of you.”

Zayn just shrugged at the compliment. He wasn’t quite sure how to take it. He wiped down the table again just to keep his hands busy, but he paused when Niall kept talking to him. “Do you ever stop working and just have a conversation?” he asked.

It surprised Zayn just how much curiosity and almost _hurt_ was in Niall’s voice. “I mean… that’s not really part of the job while we have guests,” Zayn admitted. “But when we don’t have guests, we just relax about the boat once we’ve cleaned it properly.”

“Do you get to sleep while we’re here?” Niall continued on.

“While you guys are asleep, yes. We can go to bed after you guys do, but we have to wake up before you guys do, as well,” Zayn explained.

He couldn’t really put into words just why he was telling Niall all of this. It probably ruined the mystery of a yacht cruise. “That sounds rough,” Niall commented simply. He sat down in a seat near the railing and gestured for Zayn to join him. Zayn glanced over at the pool across deck where the rest of Niall’s family sat, and Niall seemed to read his mind. “They’re fine. They’ll be lounging there until you bug them about lunch, and even then they might continue lounging. My family really is quite boring.”

Zayn nervously smiled and looked back at Niall. He was devoid of sunglasses and for Zayn, that was a terrible, terrible thing. Niall’s eyes were the purest, deepest blue. They could rival the cloudless sky, and their depths could rival the very deepest oceans. Zayn could get lost in Niall’s eyes, swimming and floating in the mystery there until he was left completely to Niall’s ways. It was bad, how quickly and easily he’d become enamored with this boy, but Zayn couldn’t give in to it. He needed to keep his job, and in any case, what on earth could a Viscount possibly want with Zayn?

“So do I get to learn your name, mister mysterious yacht steward?” Niall asked curiously.

Zayn glanced over and said simply, “I’m Zayn.”

Niall extended a hand to shake with Zayn, who responded nervously. The hand shake lasted longer than it should have, but Zayn nor Niall seemed to mind. When their hands separated, Niall continued with his barrage of questions. He asked Zayn where he was from, how many sisters he had, and almost every detail about his life. Niall didn’t allow Zayn to ask many questions in return, but that was okay. Zayn was so taken aback by the conversation’s mere happening that he didn’t know what on earth he could have asked in return. It went on until Niall saw his brother stirring on a poolside chair, and he nodded, “You’ll want to take their lunch orders now. I’ll have anything with shrimp, by the way. A double order of it.”

Zayn nodded and said, “Of course.”

Niall flashed Zayn a perfectly white, aligned smile, and that was it. He was done for. Zayn’s cheeks turned a bright shade of red and just how _flawless_ this Viscount was, and as he walked across the deck to take lunch orders, he couldn’t stop thinking, _what the hell just happened!?_

After lunch, Danielle seemed intent on keeping Zayn as far away from the guests as possible. He supposed she didn’t want to give him any way to lose his job, but Zayn knew what he was doing. Louis had exaggerated things. There was absolutely no way that the Viscount Niall was interested in him. Zayn wasn’t worth hardly anything, especially to a prince. He was well aware. All he had tried to do was entertain his guest, a task well within his job description. It had just been a chat, after all.

The rest of the day Zayn didn’t interact with them much. Liam took the royal family out on the dinghy where they enjoyed a leisurely tubing ride on the back. They didn’t want to go fast by any means; they just wanted to parade about slowly. Niall seemed bored with it, but he sat in the dinghy and took his turn on the float soon enough.

When they returned, the table was entirely set up with dishes for dinner. The royal family went into their quarters to change, and Zayn was sure he would have no problems. In fact, his biggest problems were actually his crew mates. Danielle and Louis in particular liked to remind him _not to sleep with Niall_ and that he was leading him on. “I’ve taken his orders and chatted with him once,” Zayn said simply. “And the chat wasn’t even a big deal! He just asked me about me, and other guests have done that, too.”

But Danielle and Louis saw something that Zayn obviously didn’t. Dinner was fine, and by the end of the night Zayn was almost one of the only ones left on the crew that needed to stay awake. Danielle and Louis agreed to wake up when the Countess said she’d wake early the next morning, meaning Zayn would get to sleep until Danielle woke him up the following morning.

So, as darkness fell upon the group and the yacht stayed anchored for the night, Zayn stepped out onto the deck to make sure that the royal family was okay for the night. They’d said they didn’t need any more snacks so Harry and Eleanor were relieved of duties for the night, and before he knew it, Zayn was the very last person working on the yacht that night.

The Count and Countess were the first to go to bed, and naturally the Viscount Gregory and his fiancé grew enamored with each other. Yet again, that left Niall to his own devices.

Niall spotted Zayn on the other side of the deck, cleaning up what he was sure was an imaginary stain on the table. Slowly Niall walked over and glanced at Zayn until his presence was noticed. “We meet again,” Niall said simply. He leaned against the back railing, staring out at the plain, murky blue waters in the moonlight. “You really never get to relax while we’re awake, do you?”

Zayn shook his head. “I don’t get relieved of my duties until you’re all safe and sound in your rooms for the night,” he replied.

All it took was one glance at Niall in the moonlight and he was done for. Niall’s hair seemed darker, his eyes bluer, but in a deeper kind of way that showed Zayn that there were so many more facets to Niall’s personality that he had yet to unearth. “My brother isn’t going to need anything else the rest of the night, so how about you and I spend some time together?” Niall asked curiously.

Niall had a look of mischief on his face, a look of smugness and hilarity and a bit of curiosity danced upon his features and even in the moonlight they were unmistakable. “Surely you’ve got better things to do than chat with the likes of me,” Zayn said, embarrassed.

“On the contrary,” Niall replied, his voice still silky smooth, ropes drawing Zayn in with each word. “Of all the people on this boat, you’re the most interesting by far. And you also happen to be the only one that isn’t asleep or preoccupied.” He glanced over to the other side of the deck where his brother and his brother’s fiancé lay entangled in each other’s arms, locked in a heated kiss. “Besides, I thought it was your job to satisfy your guests? Well I’m a guest and I’d like to be satisfied.”

Zayn could tell that Niall was extremely used to getting his way. He knew how to twist words to make it sound like Zayn would have no choice but to do as he asked. And he’d done just that, too. Zayn and his co-workers weren’t in the business of saying no to their guests. The only no-no was _don’t sleep with the guests_. But surely Niall had a wonderful woman back in Ireland, and not only that, but he’d never stoop so low as to sleeping with the _steward_. So Zayn nodded and said, “Well in that case, sure. I’ll be happy to spend some time with you tonight.”

“Excellent,” Niall grinned.

His happiness seemed to cross his whole face, and he looked around wildly as though he couldn’t figure out just what he wanted to do first. Niall must have had a million ideas in mind, because he was at a loss now that he’d gotten Zayn to agree. “Have you got swim shorts? We could go for a dip and force my brother to…” he glanced over, but he paused. His brother and his brother’s fiancé were gone. “In that case, we could go for a dip. It looks like we’ve got the deck to ourselves.”

“You want to swim? Now?” Zayn asked, shocked.

“Well, have you got any better ideas?” Niall challenged him.

Zayn just stood for a moment. He couldn’t think of anything, not really. But he didn’t fancy smelling like chlorine or making time to shower, so instead he said, “We could grab you that beer you wanted so long ago. Or grab a snack.”

Niall raised an eyebrow, but nodded, “I’ll only have a beer if you have one with me. Show me the parts of this boat I’m not supposed to see.”

Zayn knew they were now treading on unsteady ground, but he couldn’t say no to this guy. Zayn didn’t know much about him aside from the fact that they were the same age, but he found himself wanting to know more. He wanted to venture the yacht and have some amusement and maybe find out more about this mysterious royal person along the way.  Zayn broke out in a smile and nodded, “Sure. We can do that.”

He led Niall down to the stair case, past the level filled with the rooms where Niall’s family would be staying, and even lower until they were down in the workers’ quarters. “Wow, this is tiny,” Niall commented softly.

Zayn just shrugged because he was aware, but it didn’t bother him. It was where he lived and he had to make the best of it. Niall glanced around and followed Zayn all the way down and into the galley. There stood a refrigerator filled with chilled beers, wines, and other spirits, and he opened it to allow Niall to choose any kind he wanted. “Most people my age prefer the most expensive,” he commented as he let his fingers dance over the necks of all the different bottles as he tried to choose one. “However,” Niall continued. “I think I’ll be the stereotypical Irishman at a pub and take a Guinness.”

Niall wrapped his fingers around the necks of two bottles deftly, and he pulled them out to offer a bottle to Zayn. This was dangerous territory and Zayn knew it, but he also enjoyed being himself and doing what he wanted, and what was the risk if everyone else was asleep? He took a bottle and they opened them before taking big swigs at the same time. Niall leaned the bottle away from his face to grin at Zayn as he took a few more gulps. When Zayn lowered the bottle, he felt Niall’s eyes on him and he blushed. “Y’alright?” he asked.

“Great,” Niall grinned.

Yet again, Zayn felt his breath temporarily leave him at the sight of Niall’s smile. Niall hopped up on the counter where Harry usually prepares food with little regard to the actual usage of the room. He sat there and kicked at Zayn’s body gently, playing with him. “What’re you doing?” Zayn asked through a fit of laughter.

He hadn’t felt so carefree in a while. Working on the yacht always made Zayn wind himself up so he was so tightly strung he didn’t know how in the world he’d become such a person. Usually he was laid back and took things in stride. But when working on a yacht he had to be at the top of his game. Even when they didn’t have guests, Zayn had to try to be well behaved and polite so he wasn’t _really_ himself. When Niall aimed a particularly strong nudge of the toes to Zayn’s side just below his rib cage, he let out a yelp and said, “Bloody hell, mate!”

“Ah, so the perfectly polite steward has a dark side,” Niall laughed. “I like it.”

Zayn looked up at Niall, still smiling but also a bit confused. But he let Niall’s feet nudge him anyway until he was standing between his legs. He looked up at Niall who finished off the rest of his beer in one fell swoop of his arm. The bottle left his lips with a pop, leaving them pink and just a bit wet, and Zayn’s eyes were drawn to the little flicker of Niall’s tongue upon his lips to lick up the last drops of beer. He was entranced by such simple, small actions, and he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about what it’d be like to feel those lips against his own.

The lips morphed into a knowing smile as Niall cleared his throat, and Zayn’s eyes were drawn back up to Niall’s. He noticed the pink on Niall’s cheeks, whether from what he’d noticed or the alcohol, Zayn wasn’t sure. “Like what you see?” Niall asked playfully.

Zayn let out a nervous laugh and finished off his own beer, and he was far too preoccupied with admonishing himself mentally to notice that Niall couldn’t tear his eyes from Zayn’s lips either. Niall took the empty bottle from Zayn’s hand and set it aside, next to the one he’d emptied earlier, and then his legs wrapped around Zayn until his ankles locked and Zayn was treacherously close. “I won’t get you in trouble,” Niall whispered. “I’m good at keeping secrets.”

Zayn could feel Niall’s breath, smell his cologne mixed with the slight spray of ocean water from earlier, and his hands fell gently upon Niall’s thighs where he sat in front of him. And then it happened.

Niall closed the distance and his lips covered Zayn’s, and his brain completely short-circuited.

Zayn’s breath caught in his throat and he couldn’t wrap his brain around the fact that _a Viscount was kissing him_. Zayn just didn’t understand. He had nothing to offer, no discernible features that made him particularly attractive. Zayn was just Zayn, and he was nothing special. But Niall saw something anyway because he was kissing him with all his might, tongue tasting the beer off of Zayn’s lips, sliding into his mouth gently to take in the taste of _Zayn_ , and before he could really think he was responding. Zayn leaned up on his tip toes, intensifying the kiss and pressing a bit harder into it all. Niall groaned and smiled at this, and his hands draped over Zayn’s shoulders.

Zayn didn’t know how long they were there kissing. He just wanted more and more even as his lungs screamed at him to _stop_ and to _breathe_. Zayn would die happy if he could just kiss Niall forever. He couldn’t think about anything but _more_ and _mine_ and _wantwantwant_. It was as though all caution had been thrown to the wind. Someone could walk in on them and Zayn wouldn’t even care because _Niall was kissing him and it felt amazing_.

But Niall broke the kiss anyway, and he leaned back with red, puffy lips and a great big smile on his face. He hopped off the counter, sliding their bodies together as Zayn tried to catch him, and he blushed and bit his lip. Niall seemed to like the sight of that, and he grinned wider as their eyes locked. “See you tomorrow, big guy,” he winked.

Zayn just stared as Niall left him without another word, noticing the gentle curve of his back and ass, the way his hair was mussed up (when did that happen?) and the way Niall had flushed a little bit more after kissing him so hard.

Yeah, Louis had been right. Zayn was fucked.


	4. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for continuing to read along! I don't think I'll have this completed by Saturday, but no worries. I'll complete it as soon as possible, I promise! No abandoning of this one!

Just as promised, Danielle came to wake Zayn bright and early the next morning. “The royal family is up on the main deck, they’ll be wanting breakfast soon. Louis got them refreshments but now he’s cleaning up their rooms,” she instructed.

The warmth and kindness that had once been in her voice was gone. Now she was just… strict. Unfriendly. It was as though she were trying to punish Zayn for something he hadn’t done. But what’s worse is that Danielle didn’t know that he _had_ done something wrong. Zayn climbed out of bed and swooped his hair to the side, and then he pulled on his uniform and promptly hopped up on deck. And as sure as the sky was blue, Niall was quick to catch Zayn’s eye. The only problem was, he winked and smirked and of course, Danielle noticed.

Zayn went on with his job, taking breakfast orders before he retreated down to the galley to report to Harry. Zayn prepared himself a coffee as Danielle busied herself with chatting the day’s plan over with Captain Simon, and he was relieved for the break. But then Louis was doing laundry and Harry and Eleanor were milling around the galley. “Morning,” Eleanor said with slight hesitation.

“Morning,” Zayn said amicably.

Eleanor looked pointedly at Zayn before she carried the two beer bottles to the recycling bin, and his face colored red. “What happened last night?” Louis asked with a smirk on his face.

“Nothing,” Zayn insisted. “The Viscount wanted a drink.”

“Did his mum give permission?” Louis pressed.

Zayn huffed and said, “At dinner and for the rest of the evening, yes. And it was still evening.”

“Why were there two gone?” Eleanor asked tentatively.

Zayn hesitated just enough before saying, “He was thirsty,” and that gave everything away.

Harry paused from where he was making some gourmet fruit and honey version of French toast to point is spatula right at Zayn’s face. “You had better be careful,” he said with a heavy warning tone. Zayn had never heard him so seriously. “You’re a good worker. Don’t lose your job because some fluff royalty can’t keep it in his pants.”

“We didn’t do anything!” Zayn insisted. “This happens with guests all the time. The last one awake gets bored and they want to socialize. Happens all the time, right Louis?”

Zayn rounded on Louis in hopes that he’d be on his side, but he wasn’t and it frustrated Zayn. “Harry’s right, mate,” he said softly. “Guests do that, yeah, but usually they’re drunk and it lasts a few moments. Not into the following morning. I heard he got flirty with you as soon as he saw you.”

“He was _friendly_ ,” Zayn clarified.

“Oh, and friendly winks and licks their lips, do they?” Danielle asked as she wandered into the room. Zayn froze. Now it was Danielle’s turn to wave things in Zayn’s face, and she waggled her finger at him as she said, “I don’t know why you insist on continuing this infernal dalliance. You’ll lose your job. If Captain Simon finds out there’s nothing I can do. Consider this your warning because if I don’t warn you, I’ll lose my job as well. _Make it stop_.”

Nobody spoke as Danielle walked through the galley to collect more fruits for juicing for the Viscount Gregory’s fiancé. Zayn just stood there. Sure, Niall had kissed him, but he’d also been drinking for the better part of the evening. He didn’t mean anything by it. And that wink could have been aimed for anyone… right?

Frustrated, Zayn pushed it all away and focused solely on his job. The royal family decided to go on a tour on some other part of mainland, and that left everyone on the yacht with plenty of time to clean up and consequently, plenty of time for Danielle to send warning glares in Zayn’s direction. He was pissed off the entire time, and rightfully so. He hadn’t slept with Niall, so what had he done wrong? Zayn wanted everyone to just leave him alone. He’d work things out and make sure Niall understood that he couldn’t do this. Mostly because Zayn was almost positive that Niall would want to spend time with him again that night.

When the royal family returned to the yacht for lunch, Harry and Eleanor had set out a magnificent buffet-like spread out on the main deck, and they loved it. As he waited to approach the table, Niall walked past Zayn and unmistakably took hold of a large part of his arse to give it a playful squeeze. Zayn flushed red and as he walked past, he could feel Niall’s breath graze his ear. He stared at Niall who just smiled politely in return.

Zayn couldn’t believe this was happening to him.

He knew that the sensible thing to do would be to tell Niall that he could lose his job if he kept this up. The right thing to do was to respectfully ask Niall to keep his hands to himself and tell him that nothing else could happen between them – that the kiss was a mistake. But Zayn couldn’t do that. He was slowly beginning to figure Niall out. The poor boy was just lonely. Zayn saw him as a person, not a Viscount, and that had to be refreshing. Zayn didn’t mind talking with Niall until the wee hours of morning. And he certainly didn’t mind the kisses. Zayn was pretty hard up if he was being completely honest. A bit of kissing was no big deal.

When the royal family went out tubing again, this time with a different deck hand manning the dinghy, Liam pulled Zayn aside. Zayn was groaning in frustration before a word even came out of Liam’s mouth. “Just… be honest with me, Zayn. D’you fancy him?” Liam asked softly.

Zayn looked up at Liam, not quite sure if he could trust him. But he found himself nodding anyway, and Liam’s frown grew. “I’m sorry!” Zayn wailed. “I can’t fucking help it, okay?”

Liam flinched a little at how defensive and _upset_ Zayn sounded, but he didn’t yell at him. Liam just sighed and nodded. “I know, I get it,” he insisted. “Really, I do. If you want to do this… you have be careful. I mean incredibly careful.”

Liam frowned. “I _am_ being careful,” Zayn protested, but Liam shook his head.

“And leaving beer bottles as evidence out on the counter is being _careful_?” Liam asked. Zayn sighed and looked away. He didn’t need his best mate giving him trouble, too. “Look… I know you might be feeling lonely and might want a hook up. And it probably feels good having attention from someone like Niall,” Liam began, and then paused. Zayn looked up, ready to leave if Liam started lecturing. “Which is why I’ve put together an ingenious plan so you can get away with it just this once,” Liam said softly. “I really shouldn’t be doing this and all of us involved will deny it if you try to say we were involved, but here’s what we’re going to do…”

Zayn didn’t really know what to say or think when Liam told him the plan. Harry, Louis, and Eleanor were all going to hide away in Louis and Harry’s room all night. Liam was on anchor watch all night, and that meant Zayn could have the room to himself. He had to be in his room to hang up his walkie talkie and post the sign showing he was in just in case he was needed early the next morning. The catch was that Danielle had offered to stay up to care for the guests until they went to bed (an excuse to talk to Liam, more like), so she’d likely follow Niall right to his room. As long as Niall put the Do Not Disturb sign on his door and waited for Danielle to leave before bolting down to the workers’ floor, she wouldn’t find out that he was gone. If someone heard Niall and Zayn, Harry had agreed to bite the bullet and Zayn could say that it had been the two of them instead. Louis and Eleanor would back that story up. It would be tricky, but Liam just wanted Zayn to have some fun. He also didn’t want Zayn to do something stupid and lose his job.

Louis decided to do Zayn a favor and he was the one who told Niall the plan just before dinner as they had a smoke together on the other side of the deck, which kept things from looking to suspicious. Danielle surely wouldn’t have let Zayn nor Niall out of her sight had she seen them conspiring together.

Zayn went about his job as usual at dinner, and he met Niall’s eyes a few times. When he brought over the main course, he felt a hand in his pocket, and he tried to ignore just how close Niall’s hand was to his rather private parts. A jolt of both fear and excitement shot through him, and after Zayn had delivered all the food, he told Danielle that he had to run to the loo and he escaped as quickly as possible. Fumbling in his pocket for the paper, Zayn finally found it. Nervously he unfolded it to find a small but meaningful note.

_I’ll be there – N_

Zayn grinned from ear to ear and put the paper back in his pocket. It could have just been his sentimental side, but Zayn was very much planning on keeping it. The whole situation seemed so forbidden and exhilarating and he loved it.

When he delivered dessert to the guests and his eyes locked with Niall’s again, Zayn gave the tiniest of nods to show that he’d seen it, and they were set. Niall was going to sneak down to Zayn’s bunk that night. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, threatening to burst out of his rib cage at any moment. The situation was _so wrong_ but at the same time it was _perfect_. Zayn liked this sort of thing – taking risks, doing stupid things… sex, even. He hadn’t taken the job on the yacht with the express intent on having sex, but that didn’t mean he didn’t come prepared. In fact, he had plenty of lube and condoms because he’d thought he’d at least meet someone that he worked with that he could hook up with.

But instead there was Niall: perfect, blonde, slender Niall with his big smile and glowing bright blue eyes. Everything was working out perfectly and Zayn had already decided to split his tip among Harry, Louis, and Eleanor for helping him. They deserved it.

After several reassuring but annoyed messages from Harry, Louis, Liam, and Eleanor, Zayn found himself fin his room, pacing back and forth as he waited for Niall. He was wearing his casual deck uniform, his khaki shorts and polo shirt, and his hair was windblown but acceptable by Zayn’s standards. He just wanted to know where Niall was. When Zayn heard a frantic knock on the door, he panicked and opened it wide, thinking something had gone wrong. But it was just Niall, who rushed in, shut the door, and locked it behind him.

Zayn just stared at Niall who stood on the other side of the cabin, looking exhilarated. “Hi,” Zayn smiled, his grin lopsided but brimming with joy.

“I’ve never snuck around like this before,” Niall whispered with a mad grin. “I quite like it.”

Zayn let out a laugh and without hesitation the two of them walked towards the center of the cabin, lips meshing easily. Zayn’s arms draped around Niall’s shoulders, and Niall held his waist warmly, gently almost. “I could lose my job for this,” Zayn whispered into the kiss.

“Is it worth it?” Niall asked, still not breaking the kiss for more than a second.

Zayn moaned into the kiss and tangled his fingers in Niall’s hair. His heart was pounding out of his rib cage and he didn’t hesitate before he whispered, “Absolutely.”

He could feel Niall’s grin grow into the kiss, and before Zayn knew it he was pressed onto the lower bunk, Niall on top of him. They were kissing hard, their tastes mingling and Niall taking charge right away. He kissed Zayn deeply, tongues tangling and teeth clashing just a bit, and Niall couldn’t stop sliding his hands over every inch of Zayn’s body. Zayn was trying to keep up but his head was spinning. He touched Niall’s hair, his neck, down his chest and over his shoulders. His arms were stronger than Zayn remembered and he loved the way every once in a while Niall would look back with blue eyes full of mirth before kissing him again.

Somewhere in the tangle of limbs and peppered kisses their clothes had wound up on the floor, and now Zayn’s legs were parted wide to allow for Niall to kneel between them. Niall’s hips rocked and their cocks rubbed together in a way that felt so good it should have been illegal. Zayn moaned softly into Niall’s ear, little bites tugging at his earlobe from time to time to make Niall’s head spin in tandem with Zayn’s. Lost in the moment, they kissed and came and touched and kissed some more.

Zayn should have been exhausted but he just always wanted more. Thankfully, Niall was more than willing to give him that. Niall reached down towards his pants, but Zayn stopped him. Zayn fumbled in the small table at the bunk’s bedside and pulled out a bottle of lube and a condom. Niall grinned; he hadn’t expected Zayn to be so well-prepared.

So in another tangle of kisses and touches, Niall prepped Zayn and they moved together like they’d known each other their whole lives. They were so close, so in rhythm with each other, the attraction and compatibility was unmistakable. Zayn had never expected himself to become so pliable in Niall’s touch, but it felt good having the heavy weight above him, the large hands stroking his cock, glazing over his nipples, and best of all, cupping his face as they kissed more intimately than Zayn had ever kissed another before.

When Niall slowly pressed into Zayn, the pain was overshadowed by the way Niall looked at him with such adoration and _care_. If Niall weren’t a Viscount but instead someone on Zayn’s level, he might have thought it was love. But Zayn knew that a Viscount would never love him, so he took it at face value and just enjoyed the feeling of their physical connection, the stretch and the burn, and most of all, the tenderness with which Niall touched him.

Their bodies rocked together, the rhythm shaking their bodies together against the mattress. Zayn hooked his ankles behind Niall’s back and tugged him closer, and their sweat slicked bodies slid together from head to waist. Niall pressed his forehead to Zayn’s, peppered kisses all over Zayn’s face, and when their lips met Zayn felt like he could die, he was so happy. Everything about that moment was so perfect, so tender, and Zayn etched it all into memory forever. Nothing like this would ever happen to him again, he was sure of it.

Up on deck, the royal family (save for Niall) decided they wanted to go on a moonlight dinghy cruise. Danielle managed to find a deck hand, but she needed help in putting together a basket of drinks and snacks for the family. Just as she approached Zayn’s room to ask him for help, she paused.

Inside, Zayn’s body felt as though it were on fire. He rolled his hips upwards and the angle changed just enough. “’m gonna,” he whispered in Niall’s ear.

“Do it,” Niall said clearly, his voice unmistakable.

Danielle’s first instinct was that Niall was just conversing with Zayn, but the moan that followed, the simple utterance from Zayn’s lips of Niall’s name as he came was enough to tell her that it was far more than a conversation. Immediately after she heard it, Danielle was fuming. She pounded her fist on the door repeatedly and tried to open it, just to find that it was locked. The commotion woke others, and down the hall Louis, Harry, and Eleanor burst out to see what was happening.

They all froze at the sight. “You three!” Danielle shrieked. “The royal family wants a moonlight dinghy ride. Put together a basket of drinks and snacks, _now_.” She turned to the door and started pounding on it. “Zayn Malik you open up right now! And don’t you dare try to hide the Viscount!”

If anyone was unclear as to the situation, they weren’t anymore. Harry, Louis, and Eleanor took off down the hallway, terrified as to the fate of their friend. And behind the door, Zayn was even more terrified. Niall looked guilty and tried to get Zayn to focus. “Just get dressed, it’ll be okay,” Niall said softly.

Zayn was sure that Niall would run off and never speak to him again. He wouldn’t want to be involved with Zayn now. Not after the way Danielle completely ruined their moment. But instead Niall stayed. He shouted, “Just a minute!” to Danielle and then slowly forced Zayn to get dressed.

“You’ve got to do it,” he whispered to Zayn, who looked on the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry, Zayn. I never meant…”

“It’s my fault,” Zayn whispered as he dressed, his eyes unfocused as he realized how screwed he was.

Zayn finished dressing but was still too scared to move. Niall understood, and he answered the door instead. “Dear Viscount, I’m so sorry for Zayn’s behavior,” Danielle began immediately. “He knows that we have a strict policy against this sort of behavior, and I can assure you that he will no longer be employed by our company after such a thing.”

“ _I_ came on to _him_ ,” Niall said simply.

Danielle did a double take at that, and she just stared at Niall in shock. “You what?” she asked.

“It was my idea,” Niall clarified. He put his hands on his hips and said, “I’m attracted to Zayn. He’s a good guy and he deserves to be treated well. I wanted him and for some insane reason he wanted me in return. Don’t fire him.”

“I have no choice,” Danielle stammered, obviously not expecting the words that came out of Niall’s mouth. “Captain’s orders.”

“Then I’ll be speaking with your Captain,” Niall informed her.

“It won’t make a difference.”

Zayn spoke for the first time since Danielle had discovered them, and he had small streaks down his cheeks and wet eyes as he looked up at Niall. “You don’t know the Captain the way we do. She’s right, I wasn’t supposed to, I should have stopped you, I…” he muttered.

“Stop,” Niall insisted. He glared at Danielle for making Zayn feel that way, and he walked over to him and sat on the bunk net to him. “If you lose your job then I’ll help you find a new one. Easy as that.”

Danielle was shocked at what she was watching. She’d never expected to have such a good employee make such a simple and stupid mistake. She was upset with Zayn for ever thinking it was okay, and she was angry that Niall was standing up for Zayn and his behavior. “You’re relieved of your duties for the remainder of the trip,” she told Zayn curtly. “I’ll be speaking to the Captain immediately.”

But now Danielle just looked sad as she walked away to speak to Captain Simon. Zayn sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “I… I’m so sorry, Zayn,” Niall whispered. He stroked Zayn’s hair and reached out to hug him. “I didn’t know you would get in trouble.”

“I should have told you,” Zayn said simply. “I was selfish. I wanted you, you’re right. But it wasn’t because of who you are… I mean, it’s because of your _personality_ , not your _status_ , it’s…”

“Zayn, it’s okay,” Niall told him softly. He laughed a little and said, “I knew that right away. You’re different.”

Embarrassed yet slightly happy that Niall hadn’t left, Zayn wiped at his face. “My mum is going to kill me,” he muttered to nobody in particular.

“She doesn’t need to know,” Niall insisted. “Spend the summer with me.”

Zayn looked up at Niall quickly. Had he really just suggested that? It was the last thing Zayn had ever expected out of someone like Niall. Surely he had a million nicer people to be with once he got back to Ireland. He didn’t need Zayn sulking around him. “Please. It would be an honor. I’d like to get to know you as more than just some yacht worker. And I’m sure you have millions of questions about boring old me,” Niall said with a slight laugh. Zayn just nodded, and Niall’s smile grew. “And how about… you become the sixth guest on this yacht? Spend tonight in my room with me. We’ll make them serve you in the morning just like they do the rest of my family.”

That thought made him laugh a little, but he shook his head. “I couldn’t do that to Louis. Or Liam. Or Danielle, even,” he said softly. “She just did what she had to do, and they’re my friends.” Zayn looked down at his hands, but then he sighed and said, “But when the yacht docks, I’m all yours.”

Niall beamed at that, and he kissed Zayn softly before he said, “Sleep well, okay?”

Zayn stood and followed Niall to the doorway. Now without reserve, Niall stood there in the hallway where Louis, Harry, and Eleanor were standing after doing their task for Danielle, and he smiled at Zayn as he asked, “Do I get a goodnight kiss?”

Blushing furiously, Zayn just offered a small smile and came forward to press his lips to Niall’s. Niall beamed as he walked away, up to his room presumably, leaving Zayn to be hounded by the rest. “What happened?” Louis asked.

“Danielle looked _so_ angry,” Eleanor added.

“Have you lost your job?” Harry asked in fear.

Zayn sighed. He frowned and with a trembling voice, he replied, “Danielle heard us having sex. She pounded the door to be let in, as I’m sure you noticed, and I’ve been fired.”

Struck with emotion, Zayn leaned against the doorframe and he looked over at the other three, who looked positively saddened. “So what’ll you do when we dock?” Louis asked hesitantly.

“Niall asked me to spend the rest of the summer with him,” Zayn said, unable to hide the slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.

Eleanor looked like she could die of happiness, and Louis gave a sad smile as he clapped Zayn on the shoulder. “Congrats, mate,” he said softly.

Harry didn’t react, though. Zayn looked at him inquisitively and finally Harry spoke. “I’m really sorry you’re leaving, but that sounds great,” he confessed. “We’ll miss you around here. A lot.”

Zayn nodded. He wasn’t thrilled about leaving, but he had no choice. Danielle had fired him before Captain Simon could do it with ten times as much anger and venom. He’d miss them all but he’d made his choice. Zayn had decided to take a chance on Niall instead of saving his job, and now all he could do was hope that it would pay off.

After the other three retreated to bed, Zayn couldn’t tear his thoughts away from the night. Niall had been perfect. So romantic, so sweet – Niall was quite obviously a really lovely guy. But Zayn couldn’t stop himself from thinking of all the ways things could go wrong after he got off the yacht.

Everything would work out in the end, right?


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just my way of tying all the loose ends together :) I hope you enjoy! I look forward to hearing what you think!

As it turned out, Zayn really would be okay. He brought home partial salary and the tips he’d made so far that summer, and it was far more than he’d told his mum that he’d be earning so it was easy to spend his final month of holidays in Ireland with Niall. When the yacht had docked, Zayn left with his head hung low, but Niall’s arm held him protectively around his shoulders with his free hand. He’d stuffed Zayn’s luggage with his own as his own little form of retribution, making the fit deck hand that looked ready to cry carry Zayn’s bag to the family’s limo.

Liam had wanted to cry, too. He’d said goodbye to Zayn that morning and hugged him for much longer than Danielle was comfortable with. She apologized for what she’d had to do, but it was half-hearted. She was very upset with Zayn for blowing his future in yachting away, and even more upset for making her look bad in front of Captain Simon. And Captain Simon hadn’t even wanted to _look_ at Zayn.

Needless to say, Zayn had taken it hard but Niall was ready and prepared to pick up the pieces. When he’d been getting off the yacht, part of Niall thought that maybe Zayn would run, his one duffle bag of possessions be damned, but he was grateful to hear that he hadn’t. As soon as they stepped onto the dock, Zayn let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he was holding, and he stared as the reality of the whole situation hit him.

Zayn tried his hardest to keep a straight face through the whole car ride back to Niall’s home, and he hadn’t been expecting the massive expanse of the old, vintage castle in Ireland to be home to someone so warm and inviting as Niall. But there he was, believing it anyway, because Niall was guiding him into something Zayn had never expected.

When the crew of Captain Simon’s yacht were told the following summer that they were going to be taking on the royal family again, they weren’t sure what to expect. Memories of Zayn came flooding back and Liam found it hard to put on a smile as he saw the large, expensive looking car pull up to the dock.

The driver got out and started to hand the luggage to the deck hands, and the rest of the crew watched from the deck of the yacht to see that six people were filing out of the car. The family looked familiar. First Count Robert and then his wife Countess Maura, and of course their first and elder son, Viscount Gregory and his now wife Viscountess Alexe, and then their last son came out of the car last – or so they thought. Viscount Niall climbed out, and there following right behind him was plain, average Zayn. Except Zayn didn’t look average. He was positively glowing as he stood next to Niall, their hands clasped together. “You didn’t tell me it was _this_ one,” Zayn hissed in Niall’s ear.

The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by the crew since all but Captain Simon and Danielle were staring at Zayn. He looked so different. Zayn wasn’t wearing ragged clothes, his hair wasn’t plain and black and down in his face – he had a bleached section up front and he brushed it back but it came down in a curl that looked purposeful but effortless. He’d filled out a little more, but in muscle instead of fat like most people. Viscount Niall glowed at his side, and Danielle was filled with trepidation as she had to shake Zayn’s hand and welcome him aboard just as she did with everyone else. “It’s good to see you again,” Zayn said kindly to try to quell some of the awkwardness.

Danielle smiled halfheartedly and stood back as the family members walked on board. “We’ll be setting you up next door to the Viscount Niall?” a deck hand that Zayn didn’t recognize had asked him.

“No, don’t worry,” Liam cut in as Zayn opened his mouth to speak. “I know where his things go.”

Liam smiled at Zayn, glad to see his friend again. When they parted ways, Liam wasn’t sure that he’d ever see Zayn again. Niall held Zayn’s hand tightly as they walked inside and out onto the familiar deck where they’d first spoken. It was kind of a big moment. It signified that Zayn had lasted a whole year with one person – a man, no less – and he was happy. Insanely happy. And thankfully their family wasn’t so royal that Zayn wasn’t allowed to date Niall.

He sat down on a chair next to Niall in the morning sunlight and tried not to look too surprised at how much Louis had changed. Head to toe Louis had grown up a lot. Smooth, flattened wavy brown hair had turned to fluffed, feathery and swoopy brown hair, and he had just a dusting of facial hair on his upper lip. His arms that were exposed by the short sleeves of his shirt were now covered in tattoos and he wore tighter shorts. But Zayn knew this was the same Louis. The expression on his face was the same and that was the true test, really. “What can I get for you, _sir_?” he asked Zayn with just a slight hint of sarcasm.

Zayn smiled and let out a chuckle as he said, “A Guinness for me,” he said simply, and glanced over at Niall before he said, “Make it two.”

Niall was currently speaking to his brother and was too distracted to order. “Of course, _sir_ ,” Louis said again, still grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

The day went as normally as it could, really. Zayn felt just slightly odd being served by people that used to be his co-workers but by evening it was no big deal. Louis had served them drinks but after that he’d disappeared and another steward that Zayn had never met named Calum was serving them instead. He was nice but he wasn’t Louis. His ‘sir’ wasn’t ever meant sarcastically and it was odd. Zayn wasn’t used to such treatment. Usually he just hid in Niall’s overwhelming royal shadow, and he liked it that way.

But when sun set and the only two left on deck were Niall and Zayn, everyone came out of hiding. Liam wasn’t on anchor watch so he came out early to talk to Zayn before starting his job, and Louis brought Harry and Eleanor out so they could see him properly as well. Even Danielle decided to come out to talk to Zayn and see how he’d done since being fired.

They sat out on the extended deck, the moonlight and starlight shining down on them as they lounged on padded beach loungers. “So where did you start working?” Danielle asked.

Zayn wasn’t surprised that her question was all work related, but he was a little surprised that she’d been expecting him to answer exactly as he did, “Nowhere.”

“He hasn’t needed to,” Niall said. “I insisted that he become my guest at the castle. He’s saved enough to pay tuition at uni… or something.”

The fact of the matter was, after much arguing in which Zayn thought he’d lose Niall for good, he’d been convinced to just apply to the same school as Niall regardless of cost. He’d put all of his savings towards the Uni fund but Niall wouldn’t say just how much of the tuition it had actually covered. Now Zayn was a quarter of the way done with an English degree (“Why the hell d’you need one of _those_!?” Louis had asked) and Niall was the same amount finished with a music production degree. “So you two live together?” Harry asked, shocked.

Zayn noted the way Harry’s hand fell upon Louis’s thigh, and he noticed the blush on their cheeks as well. They hadn’t ever done something like that in public. The most they’d do around others was flirt, and even then they insisted that there was nothing going on between them. “Erm… yeah, I guess we do,” Zayn shrugged. “We live with his whole family, actually.”

“But the house is huge,” Niall interjected seriously.

Zayn just laughed and said, “You would not believe how up in arms he gets every time I say we live with his family. The castle’s fucking huge, you lot should visit. We’ve a whole wing to ourselves.”

“So you have lots of sex then?” Louis asked without reserve.

Liam smacked him hard on the chest, and Zayn’s face turned bright red, but Niall just nodded and said honestly, “Yeah o’course. I mean, we’re dating, and it’s not like we started off the relationship wanting to wait or something.”

He chuckled, as did everyone else, and Zayn felt more relaxed already. They didn’t seem angry with him like he’d thought they would be. In fact, they were quite the opposite. “So, you two are serious?” Eleanor asked, her voice still as timid yet sweet as ever.

“Yeah, we are,” Zayn replied without hesitation.

Niall just grinned madly from his side and reached over to take Zayn’s hand in his own. As the conversation went on and on about nothing and everything, Zayn noticed the way that couples seemed to emerge amongst the staff. Naturally, Danielle and Liam were close since they were _still_ together. Then to add to things, Eleanor seemed to smile and watch the doorway closely until the other steward came out to join them. He was introduced again (Calum, Zayn tried to remember), and he took her onto his lap as soon as he took a chair. Harry and Louis were getting more obvious as the night wore on, and finally Zayn couldn’t hold back his question anymore. “Seriously, you two, are you together _finally_?” he asked.

Danielle looked surprised by the question and Liam was shaking his head like Zayn had just asked the wrong question. Eleanor looked scared and held onto Calum closely, and nobody moved for a moment. Even Niall seemed tense from where he sat next to Zayn. “Erm…” Harry began slowly. He glanced over at Louis nervously.

Louis just fumbled with his hands in his lap for a moment before he nodded slowly. “Great,” Zayn smiled, but when Louis didn’t chipper up, his smile faded and he asked, “What’s the matter?”

“He didn’t…” Harry began, but Louis cut him off with an odd sound.

When Louis finally looked up at Zayn, he looked terrified and on the verge of tears all at the same time. Zayn swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” Zayn began.

“It’s fine.”

Louis took a deep breath and reached over for Harry’s hand in a desperate bid for comfort before he took a deep breath and said, “I… I don’t mind you lot knowing. It’s my mum… I don’t think she’d approve.”

“But you used to talk about sweet your mum was,” Zayn said softly. “I don’t understand?”

Harry looked nervous _for_ Louis, but it wasn’t his story to tell so he kept his mouth shut. “She’s amazing,” Louis said. “But she can also be very closed minded at times. So… it’s a bit of a problem, actually.”

Zayn felt bad for asking now, and Niall just inched closer to Zayn to try to reassure him that it was okay because he hadn’t known without really speaking. After a short pause, Louis said, “I love Harry. I’ve loved him since I met him two years ago. It’s just that… I need to have my back up plan. We’re saving up so when I tell mum at the summer’s end, Harry and I already have a place so when she kicks me out, it’s less traumatizing. Y’know?”

Harry gave Louis’s hand a squeeze, and Zayn just nodded. “I’m sorry about your mum,” he said softly. “But… if something happens and you two haven’t got a place… you know you’ve got people to call.”

“Yeah, we’d be happy to give you a wing of the castle for a bit if you don’t mind shacking in Ireland,” Niall chimed in kindly. “You lot are great to Zayn and it’d be like being able to pay you back, yeah?”

Louis gave Niall a nervous but happy smile, and Harry thanked him softly. Niall wanted Zayn to get back in with his friends from the yacht because he knew that before them, Zayn hadn’t had many friends. That, and he’d seen how hard it was for Zayn to say goodbye to them. It had taken him a while to fully get over it all. Niall hadn’t left his side the whole time.

When the first signs of morning shone on the horizon, everyone decided to turn in to bed. Niall and Zayn planned on going to bed far earlier the following night (for reasons everyone knew but nobody really talked about) because he knew from Zayn that it meant that the staff would get the sleep they’d lost that night staying up late talking to all of them.

When Sunday came and Niall’s family was looking out as the yacht stopped at the dock. The cruise was over and now it was time to say goodbye. “If you lot have time before Uni starts again, give me a call,” Niall said kindly. “Friends of Zayn’s are friends of mine.

He shared his phone number with everyone and Zayn gave Liam and everyone else big hugs. “I’ll see you guys later,” he said softly.

It was always hard saying goodbye to everyone, even if they’d only been around each other for a few days. But this time it was on good terms. Zayn was happier after having seen his friends, and they seemed happier too, and on top of it all they had an invitation to hang out with Irish royalty. Not many could say that.

Little did they know, they’d have good reason for visiting and celebration.

When Niall and Zayn got back to their wing of the castle, they were met with an amazing meal out on the terrace. Even though they were in beach clothes they still sat down for the immaculate meal. As they ate the last course slowly, Zayn asked curiously, “What’s the occasion?”

They’d celebrated one year together the week before the cruise, so Zayn had no idea why in the world Niall would have set up something so fancy, even by Niall’s standards. When Niall fumbled in his pocket instead of eating the last of his food, Zayn knew something was up. “Well… I’d hoped to save this for during dessert, but… this seems better,” Niall said softly.

He stood up and walked over towards Zayn slowly. “So… you know I’m awful with words, unlike you, so… I’ll keep it simple,” Niall said softly. “Marry me?”

He pulled out a small black box and opened it to show off an immaculately woven silver and gold engagement band. Zayn’s jaw dropped, because engagement was literally the last thing he expected. But the fact of the matter was, Zayn had seen more places, had more adventures, and felt far happier in his one year with Niall than he could remember feeling in the whole of his life before they met. Niall literally turned Zayn’s life into a whirlwind rollercoaster of excitement.

But Zayn had never been one for words either, so he understood why Niall hadn’t done like most would and listed off all his positive qualities before popping the question. It would have made Zayn feel awkward anyway, and Niall was well aware. So of course, Zayn treated the situation the same way, and he couldn’t really speak. Instead, he just grinned and watched Niall grin in return, and his hand shook just a little when Niall slid the ring on his finger.

He grinned though, and when their lips met in a kiss, Zayn was just reassured more than ever that kissing Niall the first time hadn’t been a mistake. As much as Danielle had tried to make him think that it was, Niall convinced him otherwise. And now he knew that Niall was right.

They smiled at each other and when Zayn said that the invitation to visit was now an invitation for an engagement party, the response was amazing. Zayn glowed with happiness and all the risks had been worth it.

Every. Single. One.


End file.
